Nice read. I could envision a Hollywood movie on this premise: Denzel Washington, our protagonist is the country's leading hacker / security expert, invited to give a talk. Only that an unknown Russian will crack him handily, stealing some government secrets. Then the movie would quickly deteriorate into gas explosions and "hacking tools" written in VB.NET.
Movie opens with Chinese cyber-ops lab, head honcho brings in McGuffin device, plugs it in. Cut to scenes in US of machines being compromised, data, leaking, cars stopping, TV broadcasts being controlled.
Our protagonist is shown, recognising the attack and taking action: she unplugs her computer and goes for a run past stranded trucks and cars.
Titles.
A few weeks later, media is still talking about the biggest attack on US computers. CIA meeting discusses that the Chinese head of cyber-ops is known to be attending Black Hat with the McGuffin (it never leaves him). CIA has a team on trying to hack him, but two deepthroats in the room talk to each other about their suspicion that one of the CIA team is a double-agent.
One Deep Troat, a high level agent from black-ops three letter agency approaches our protagonist, an independent pentester, a hippy wunderkind living in an RV in New Mexico. They ask her to take her team to Vegas, make the hack and identify the CIA mole.
They plan the hack, involving lots of physical as well as digital subterfuge. Then they go to Vegas, have scenes of being out of their element, then the hack begins and they mostly raise their game. The CIA team detects them, destroying their hopes of finding the mole, so they focus on the McGuffin.
At the last minute it turns out the Wunderkind's best friend on her team has also been turned as a spy, and gives her identity to the CIA mole and Chinese authorities. Wunderkind has to finish the hack alone, while being hunted down by both agents.
She does so, even managing to tag her former friend so he can be picked up by the authorities, as the Chinese leave him out to dry when they retreat. Movie ends with Wunderkind receiving an offer from black-ops to work for shadow 3-letter agency full time. She returns to her RV and shreds the offer letter.
